Hi Mic Check. Can you briefly tell us who Mic Check is?
Greetings. Mic Check is actually just an ordinary citizen :). To briefly introduce myself, MIC CHECK is: a mixing machine, a real rapper, a very good producer, a former breaker, a kind-hearted person who dedicates 12 hours out of 24 to music, working tirelessly. In short, hip-hop genes run in my blood. Music will be my life to the very end!…
Who have you worked with so far, and what's on the horizon?
I've worked with many people to date, and I still have more to work with. Let me list those who remained in the project first. I was going to collaborate with the groups HEDEF 12 and RAPOR II. We had decided on these a long time ago, but the arrogant attitudes of both groups drove me crazy, and I cut them out. I will be doing a duet with the American underground rap group GHETTO PRISONERZ very soon. They are very successful. They contacted me via email. I had given a copy of my album to a very close friend to be sent to the famous rap label DEFJAM, so they heard me in America and wanted to work with me. This is part of this new project. I previously worked with the Samsun-based group EKIP, but the group had to disband. I organized the BAB-I DERGAH team. We formed the team by bringing together YARGIC aka Ayhan Kara and CAMBAZ aka Serkan. I made a very good demo, but then the team disbanded for some reason. Back when I first formed Silahsız Kuvvet, TUNC DINDAS aka TURBO, who liked my tracks, suggested I work with Statik. I accepted, and we produced together for months, even over a year and a half. I did the compositions, and he sang. Of course, he also did a featuring with Silahsız Kuvvet. As you know, Tunç is in Kuytu Köşeler. But the version on my album features MR MISERO aka Ramiz Bayraktar, whom I consider Türkiye's greatest graffiti artist. I stopped working with STATIK because of JEMMY's selfish behavior. I don't like selfish people at all. Besides, Statik wasn't a rap group. I was going to do the rap music. They are a drum and bass & breakbeat group. I don't want to elaborate too much, and I'll move on to the groups I've worked with recently. In the last year, I've worked with MC KOLERA, SOZLU TAARRUZ, CEZA, and DR FUCHS (NEFRET POSSE). These were very enjoyable collaborations. I'm still producing excellent projects with NEFRET.
Who are the people you target in your songs?
The people I target in my songs are definitely not related to this environment. Silahsız Kuvvet (Unarmed Force) always plays big and stands up against those in power, those who separate the law from equality, colonialists, rich-obsessed fools, liars, and selfish people. It never uses foul language, but instead delivers sharp criticisms. The things hidden beneath the melancholic melodies are actually very demoralizing realities. That's why melancholic melodies dominate the structures. My songs tell the realities of this life: glue sniffers, the tiny beggars I see on the street, street children, poor people, the damn mafia, the dogs called gangs, the events in the news, the curse of heroin, pretentious youth and their bad habits, and most importantly, real events, the conclusions I draw from the real lives of the people around me. In short, SILAHSIZ KUVVET = REAL RAP (I don't do hip-hop, I do rap).
Are your words truly your weapon?
From my childhood, I was in Samsun, perhaps the most troubled city in Turkey. Youth there was truly psychopathic, and I resorted to psychopathic behavior to protect myself. Sometimes I extorted money, sometimes I got involved in big fights. In short, I acted like a psychopath, but now I just laugh at those days. I'm against violence now, and I'm equally against those who embrace it. In my opinion, words should be weapons, which is why my album is called "My Words Are My Weapon." This is a power politics. If power is without weapons, then the power within is the words. "My Words Are My Weapon" is the first rap single ever made that depicts Turkey (not exile). It's the beginning of my rap career. I don't talk about simple things. Parties aren't my thing. I've never made a party or love song. I make rap, everyone should know that. Hip-hop is the name that encompasses this culture as a whole. Rap, on the other hand, is about reality.
You've used sad melodies in most of your songs. What's the reason for that?
All the tracks on the album are melancholic, like the melodies used in "Kuytu Köşeler" (Curved Corners). My aim was to create an album heavily focused on emotional depth, and I succeeded. Let me list my favorite, or rather, most heartfelt tracks from the album: GOZEGOZ DISE DIS, GERCEKLERI GOR, BEYAZ OLUM, PES ETMEK YOK, TEK BASINA DIMDIREK, ACIMASIZ YASAM…etc. Rap definitely shouldn't be made to be harsh. You should do what you feel. In my first album, I felt very dark things. The melodies I used illuminated this darkness and created balance. The realistic attitude in the lyrics was balanced by the melancholic atmosphere in the melodies. But there are also harsh singles, of course. Songs like DUMAN and BOOYAKA are harsh. That's another balance.
So where is this album?
Where's the album? 🙂 That's a good question, of course. The album was finished in '98. I actually started it in '98 and finished it within the same year. I've been waiting ever since. I'm not in a hurry. First, I want people to know me. I want Silahsız Kuvvet to reach more people through concerts. Then the album will come and go. HAMMER MUSIC has been very supportive. 2-3 more tracks I made in '99 were added to the album. It's a full 74-minute album, packed with scratches, melodies, rhythms, and loops. I think listeners will really like it. The reason I say this is because of the albums on the market. Compared to them, "Silahsız Kuvvet/Sözlerim Silahım" is a masterpiece. Don't take this as arrogance. I just trust my work, and that's my greatest right. The album includes features with Sözlü Taarruz, mcn, mc kolera, and jayone (battle squad). I recently had a meeting with my company about the album's release date. Ultimately, they'll just take photos for the album cover, then it will be mastered and released for sale. That will probably take a month or two. Just wait, you can be sure it will be worth the wait.
Considering all the effort you put into this album, what do you think of it? Are you satisfied with it?
The album is great. I'm very happy with it. With every track I make, I go to a different world. I think it's the best. As I said, I have complete confidence in my work. They say first attempts are a failure, but mine wasn't like that. Although, in terms of rhythms, it was a bit low-level because it was my first album and first experience (my first songs), but the new songs I made in the last two years have made up for that deficiency. In fact, I didn't touch the tracks whose rhythms I felt were fossilized at all. I could have revised and renewed them if I wanted to, but I decided not to. The reason is; they are my first children and they should remain as they are.
What are your next projects?
I have many projects. My first project was with Sagopa Kajmer. My current project will be with my close friend, Fuat Bonobo 1 Panzer. There will be some great duets. Besides that, I'll be working with Nefret Pose, the owner of the biggest album released so far. Actually, Nefret and Silahsız Kuvvet are practically the same now. We're a team, like brothers. So everything I'm saying is separate from Nefret. They are completely different to me. Again, we're creating great things with Ceza, trying new styles and producing great things. Soon I'm starting a series called Projekto Mikrophone. This is an underground series. A huge rap project that I want to be entirely composed of underground rappers. I'm preparing the instrumentals these days. As soon as they're finished, rappers will rap over them and they will be released underground. This way, people in the underground scene will be able to listen to different Turkish rap songs. If anyone wants to participate in the Projekto Mikrophone compilation, they can contact me. Later on, I will complete and release Sagopa Kajmer's album. I am a producer, and I will always produce.
Let's talk about Sagopa Kajmer... Why did you feel the need to get involved in such a project?
Sagopa Kajmer is an underground project. It's full of profanity, abnormally harsh, and very pessimistic. The reason I did this was to vent. Sagopa Kajmer, as you know, is Mic Check himself. I'm not shy about that at all. I have several different faces. Sagopa is the face that reflects my inner world, my utopias. He will always be there, and I will express my pessimistic thoughts through Sagopa Kajmer. Sagopa Kajmer will always be the harshest, both with his lyrics and his pessimistic beats. Silahsız Kuvvet has a completely literary beat. But Sagopa Kajmer is a psychopath. That's probably the best description. I love him 🙂
How do you find the market right now, are there any developments?
In my opinion, the Turkish rap scene has sound but no substance. There's no noticeable progress. The albums Yeraltı Operasyonu and Nefret's Meclis-i ala were the most significant developments. However, it would be wrong to call them developments now, because they're past their prime. It would also be wrong to call Sultana or Fresh B, who are releasing albums now, developments. They are significant setbacks in terms of rap. But they should be listened to. That way, the good ones should be noted. Nefret's album is a development. But Sultana and Fresh B are setbacks. There's nothing to say about the underground scene. Because there's nothing going on. It's easy to say things like "We're coming, we're going to be explosive," but it's hard to actually get there. I think they're making ridiculous, nonsensical things. Frankly, I have Turkish rap CDs by artists like CARTEL, FUAT, ERCI-E, KARAKAN, NEFRET, DJ MAHMUT, and YERALTI OPERASYONU at home. These are the best. The market, however, remains the same. It's full of empty talkers, expat worshippers, aimless, culturally deficient, rap-hating, punk-leaning hip-hop wannabes, and pretentious youths. So let's close that topic and talk about those who produce and bring products to the market. It's called underground for a reason. These people are there because they can't produce anything. We were underground too, once. But we struggled and achieved the impossible. There's no room for empty talk. Produce something.
When will we hear from the Kuvvetmira family?
You'll have to wait a long time to hear from the Kuvvetmira family. My work is so demanding that currently only Silahsız Kuvvet and Sagopa are active in Kuvvetmira. I can't find time for the other bands. Because I realize I need to release something soon. So I need to dedicate time to myself and finish my work. Then the Kuvvetmira family will come. We're already working slowly and recording tracks, why rush? Most of the Kuvvetmira band members have gone to the military. DERIN DARBE, MASTA KARA, LAUF are in the army. MC KOLERA is very busy right now. But work will continue soon. We are a rap family, our business is rap. So don't doubt it. Whatever is done will definitely be released one day.
Finally, to whom are your greetings?
Greetings to: NEFRET, CEZA, DR FUCHS, FUAT BONOBO 1 PANZER, RESPOTRAP, EMRE, DERIN DARBE, MC KOLERA, DJ NOIZE, GHETTO PRIZONERZ, SMILEY FROM SANDBOX RECORDS, RACHEL FROM MUSIC FACTORY, HALUK (HAMMER MUZIK), MISEO, CABBAR, LOLLIPOP… always hiphop… PEACE!